In Italy, the radical left and the Islamists have formed a de facto alliance that uses the state as a tool to gain more power and advance their anti-Western agendas. As Milton Friedman would say, more state power means less freedom. The Islamist-far left bloc uses this concept to impose its ideologies, leaning on immigrant votes and promises of greater (yet unsustainable) welfare.
If the government acts appropriately, this alliance may not survive for long, given that Europeans are tired of illegal Islamic immigration, growing insecurity, and excessive taxation. Additionally, those on the left who have made civil rights their banner cannot coexist for long with Islamists who believe homosexuals should be eliminated or denied their rights.
We cannot forget that investigations and arrests have already taken place among Palestinian organizations in Italy, who have been funding and working on behalf of Hamas. Hamas-affiliated individuals and entities related to the Gaza Freedom Flotilla have used Italian ports, including Siracusa, which have also served as key docking points for some of the flotilla’s vessels. Despite all this, antisemitism, hatred towards Israel, and support for the left are on the rise.
National Strikes, Antisemitic Attacks, and Boycotts
Pro-Palestinian national strikes have now become routine and are paralyzing dozens of Italian cities as they typically occur on Fridays to intentionally disrupt those preparing for the weekend. Trade unions, students, and activists block transportation, schools, and ports under the pretext of preventing the shipment of arms to Israel, while demanding recognition of Palestine, sanctions against Netanyahu, and an end to the “genocide in Gaza.” They clash with the police and seek media attention to attack the center-right government, which they describe as “complicit” with the “Zionists.” The groups behind these strikes are comprised of anarchists and entities close to the Muslim Brotherhood.
During the April 25, 2026, parade in Milan celebrating Italy’s liberation from Nazism, members of the Jewish community and the Jewish Brigade — which fought for Italy’s liberation — were harassed, verbally abused, and driven out of the march by far-left and pro-Palestinian extremists. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Phrases such as “You should be turned into bars of soap,” and Nazi salutes marked a shameful episode, condemned by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her government.
Different Tone After Recent Attack
This selective framing was on full display following an incident in Modena last Saturday, where a young Italian citizen of Moroccan descent drove into a crowd of pedestrians, shot two women in the legs, stabbed another man, and left eight people injured. Despite the severity of the attack, the mainstream Italian media adopted a strikingly different tone. Only right-wing publications pointed out the tactical similarities to global Islamist-inspired terror attacks. In contrast, the rest of the press, echoed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, minimized the broader implications, framing the assailant strictly as an Italian national suffering from severe psychiatric issues.
Despite Meloni’s condemnation of the growing antisemitism, since the left and the judiciary have gained more power following the justice referendum, the Prime Minister has distanced herself from Israel in order to maintain her support. She even announced that Italy would not automatically renew its five-year defense agreement with Israel. Although the agreement can still be renewed, the procedure will not be automatic, and the government sent its message to its Jewish community and its Israeli allies quite clearly.
Italy’s economy is also suffering from this unholy alliance between the Islamists and the far left. Teva, the Israeli pharmaceutical company and a world leader in generic medicines, faces a pro-Palestinian boycott that is pushing its factories into crisis and threatening Italian jobs.
Teva has been operating in Italy for thirty years, where it produces active ingredients for essential medicines used to treat cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, leukemia, and other serious illnesses. Thanks to its technological excellence, it supplies Italy’s National Health Service with life-saving medicines at affordable prices.
Yet the CGIL, Italy’s largest and most left-wing trade union, has promoted a boycott campaign that has caused Teva’s orders to fall by as much as 40%. But those suffering from the boycott are the Italian workers the union is supposed to protect.
It is paradoxical that Italy’s leading trade union supports a political and ideological boycott of a company that employs hundreds in our country. Municipalities such as Rome, Monza, Pesaro, Florence, and Trento - all governed by the left - have joined the campaign, urging pharmacies to replace Teva products. This decision is not only unsound from an economic perspective but also risks the lives of patients who depend on these medicines.
These initiatives: National strikes, antisemitic aggression during an anti-fascist celebration, boycotts affecting Italian jobs - reveal a left trapped within its own contradictions. It claims to stand with workers, but it endangers them; it invokes peace but promotes antisemitism; it speaks of rights but undermines access to healthcare and supports those who execute the LGBTQ+ community in the Middle East. Unsurprisingly, when tens of thousands of young Iranians were killed by the Islamic Republic regime, the Italian streets remained empty as the left did not mobilize to support the victims.
The boomerang effect of these ideological policies is now hitting Italy, and the center-right government, led by a courageous leader, appears increasingly under pressure. Although Italy still has less antisemitism, a smaller Islamic presence, and an overall less alarming situation compared to some of its European neighbors, the hope that things will get better is fading. We can only hope that Meloni will find the strength to act before it is too late.
Alessandro Bertoldi is the Executive Director of Italy’s Milton Friedman Institute.
This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Adam Milstein.